Unless you plan to keep you vintage RV stationary, there
is another part of the equation that must be considered before you start your
grand adventures. That would be the motorized part of it.
In the vintage world there are both travel trailers and
motor homes. Believe it or not, they have been around for about the same amount
of time. (No, we’re not counting the Conestoga wagons taken West by the
pioneers. Those were Uhauls.) By and large travel trailers are probably the
more popular of the two, for a variety of reasons we won’t delve into here.
This post is about tow vehicles. When we’re dreaming it
can be easy to forget about practicalities. But having a tow vehicle and
trailer who are well matched is one of those equations which influence safety
(yours and fellow motorists) while on the road. If you have a car, small SUV or
pick-up, you might not be towing a 30ft., or larger, trailer. You would be
better off with a small pop-up, teardrop or baby canned ham. A well equipped full-size
SUV or 1/2-ton pick-up (Ford F150, Chevy 1500, Dodge 1500) might allow you to
move up into the 20 – 30ft. size. Anything larger than that will require the
heavy-duty pickups or even a small semi-truck. There is also the option of
matching your tow vehicle to the same era as your trailer, but the rules
governing safe towing still apply.
Getting the perfect match means doing your homework,
especially if you’ve never towed anything. And you need to complete this step
before you start shopping. Knowing how to decipher manufacturer labels is the
name of the game. There are various sites on the internet where you can begin
your towing education, such as the blog “The Long, Long Honeymoon”. As would be
expected, most of the RV forums have plenty of information too. Besides those
places, we recommend looking for opportunities to get real, hands-on
experience. Some RV support groups, such as Good Sam and Escapees, offer education
opportunities (RVing 101 or RV boot-camp) that cover towing, safety while
traveling, and how to operate all the systems normally found in an RV. Even
some semi-truck driving schools, trade schools and community colleges offer
courses in RV towing and/or Class A RV’s.
Once you get beyond the initial education, you have some
serious decisions to make. Don’t think you’re in the market for a tow a
vehicle? Check with your mechanic and get their opinion on your present vehicle’s
potential to tow a travel trailer. Any vehicle being used to pull a trailer should
have a tow package. If you aren’t sure your vehicle has one, your mechanic is the
best person to give the answer you need. On some vehicles, the tow package is
not standard equipment. Even the large vehicles don’t always come with it,
because optional items always add to the cost when you’re buying new. A good,
well-rounded mechanic should also be able to help you translate the door labels
on your vehicle and hitch. This is where manufacturers usually put a vehicle’s
specs. Once you know the capacity of your vehicle, and your vehicle is properly
equipped, you can start shopping for a travel trailer.
The other half of the equation is found on the metal
labels trailer manufacturers put on their products. Sometimes that information
may have disappeared during a trailer’s existence. It’s also possible the unit
might actually be homemade. The only way to get a weight in those instances is
to find the info on the title or take the RV to a weigh station. Trailers which
still have their label will have 2 numbers; one when it’s empty and the maximum
allowable weight when fully loaded. Knowing the total weight of your loaded
trailer is a big part of towing safety. The larger number on the RV tag
shouldn’t exceed your tow vehicle’s capacity. In fact, it’s better to keep the
total weight under. (Some RV owners feel up to 20% less is a good range.)Because
it’s not just about whether the vehicle can pull, but can stop what is behind
it.
Most of the time, trailer length and weight will go hand
and hand. However, there are occasional surprises. Vintage trailers made with
aircraft-style construction methods were often the ultra-lights of their day. A
longer trailer may not weigh as much as you think. Still, never assume anything. (Note the first three
letters of the half-bold word.) You also need to be honest with yourself about
your comfort level. The difficulties of towing (and backing up) increase with
the length of your RV. Know your own limitations. Some people are just not
comfortable towing something that is longer than the vehicle being driven.
In case you’re wondering why this topic now, our tow
vehicle situation has been a bit fluid lately. When we were trailer shopping
the vehicle we already owned went with us. (Literally and figuratively.) As you
will note in the above picture, it’s an older model; a 1999 Ford Expedition, to
be exact. There can be a number of reasons to hold onto an older vehicle. The
biggest one usually has to do with the budget. Ours is paid for, has less than
110K miles, and for the most part has been reliable. It also doesn’t cost so
much to insure it, a big deal when living in a large urban area.
We will admit to taking a look at other options whenever
an issue has cropped up. But shopping for a replacement never gets very far because
we just don’t care for the prices of new vehicles in the size we need. Vehicles
5 years old or less haven’t pleased us much either. It’s not necessarily
because they’re in terrible condition (though we’ve encountered a couple of
those), but many of them have higher mileage than Old Silver and dealers still
want more for them than what our first house cost. It just doesn’t make good
financial sense for us to spend huge sums of money on something that doesn’t
hold value. When we’ve encountered items needing replacement or repair, we had
a serious discussion with our mechanic about options. Modifications that would
make the Expedition better suited for the trailer we’re pulling were part of
the conversion. We have an amazing mechanic who knows our vehicle very well.
After comparing his estimates to the cost of buying something else, it was very
easy to decide we didn’t need a different vehicle. Why pay lots of money for
something else only to find it cuts into our budget too much, and we couldn’t
travel the way we want to?
Fortunately, the changes we needed to make could be
spread out, though we do have a deadline. So after the trailer came back home,
the truck went in for the last items, a transmission cooler and rear air-bag
conversion kit. Though air- bag suspension is considered an upgrade by auto
manufacturers, the cost of replacing it with a more traditional suspension
system was way more cost-effective. Our air bags were also wearing out and
running down vehicle batteries well before their time. The last time it
happened to us, we were running errands close to home. Fortunately, the battery
was less than a year old and under warranty. The new, heavy-duty coil suspension
doesn’t need the battery to do its job properly, making it one less thing to
worry about on our next adventure.
For those who have determined you need to purchase a tow
vehicle, the better educated you are about your specific needs the better off
you are. Don’t rely on a dealership to educate you. If you think leasing might
be a better option, you need to pay close attention to the fine print. How many
miles is the vehicle allowed to travel during a year? Will you be able to visit
all of the places on your wish list? Can you even lease a vehicle with a tow
package? If so, what limitations is the dealership placing on your use of their
property as a tow vehicle?
We realize topics like this kind of suck the fun out of
dreams, which are often fueled by the images others post of their darling RVs,
and all the interesting places they travel to. But the nuts and bolts have to
be addressed first, before you even consider hitting the road. If you’ve ever
encountered an accident involving an RV, you probably noticed it looked really
serious. It’s very rare someone doesn’t get hurt, and all the vehicles
involved, including the RV, are often a total loss. If you’re going to invest a
considerable amount of time and money into any RV, you owe it to yourself to make
sure you and your family can enjoy it safely.
You can start your education right now by honestly
evaluating your driving habits. Find yourself driving offensively? Start
checking yourself now. Offensive driving, speeding and RVs just don’t mix. Put
down the cell phone, or better yet turn it off and put it out of reach when
you’re driving. Distracted driving is already a big issue with many accidents
caused by drivers, whose attention just isn’t where it should be. And they’re
not towing anything! Defensive driving and knowing where others are at all
times is absolutely essential. By necessity, RVs need to travel a bit slower,
take a longer time to make lane changes and usually need to swing wider when
making turns.
When you’re ready to embark on your adventures, we look
forward to encountering you. The RV community really is a community whose
members are usually far more friendly than society in general. Many are often
ready to lend a helping hand when needed. You won’t regret joining our ranks.
Bon Voyage.
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